Washing apparatus



March 18 '1924. 1,487,343

E. K. LEESON WASHING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 25. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 P .z 7 J 21 J2 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 am} 'E, K. LEESON WASHING APPARATUS Filed'Jan. 2

March 18 A 1924.

Patented Mar. 18, 1924.

EDWARD K. LEESOlI. OF GASTONIA. NORTH CAROLINA.

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Application filed January 25, 1822. Serial No. 531,789.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Enivsnn K. Ln SON, a citizen of the United Eitates of America, and resident of Gastonia, in the county of Gaston and State of North Carolina, have in vented certain new and. useful Improve ments in ashing .ri'pparatus, of which the following is a specification. I

This invention relates to cloth s washing apparatus and particularly to .a washboard and means for supporting it with relation to a tub.

An object of this invention is to produce a washboard and a supporting means for yieldingly holding the board in order that it will move substantially in a vertical plane while the clothes are being rubbed, the said board having perforations therein to permit water to pass therethrough into contact with the clothes being treated.

It is a further object of this invention to produce a movable washboard in such relation to the sides of the tub as to partially confine water contained in the tub, in order that it may be forced through the apertures of the board for the purposes indicated, it having been found in practice that the action of the water carries dirt from the clothes and aids in cleansing them.

It is a further object of this invention to produce a board of the character indicated which will permit the operator to stand substantially erect while manipulating the clothes, and the said device aids in mixing the soap and water to produce suds, due to the fact that the water is agitated by the piston-like action of the board in its movement.

lVith the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in the details of construction, and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this application wherein like characters denote corresponding parts in the several views and in which- Figure 1 illustrates a sectional view of a washing apparatus embodying the invention Figure 2 illustrates a top plan view thereof;

Figure 3 illustrates a transverse sectional view on a line corresponding with the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Figure 4 illustrates a sectional view on a line corresponding with the line 445 of Fig. 1;

Figure 5 illustrates an enlarged detailed sectional view of a fragment of the washboard; and

Figure 6 illustrates a transverse sectional view of a fragment of the said washboard.

In these drawings 10 denotes any suitable stand or support for the tub 11 which is here shown as rectangular in plan and provided with a flared flange 12 which serves to prevent water from splashing over the top of the tub during the manipulation of the washboard, as will presently appear. The tub 11, in this embodiment of the invention, has a wear or thrust plate 13 secured to one internal wall at the end, which acts as a thrust and wear plate, engaged by an antifriction rolier 14L which is rotatably mounted at the end of the washboard 15.

The washboard, in this embodiment of the invention,conforms quite closely to the contour and dimensionsof the interior of the washtub, but is of such size as to be free of the walls of the tub when being manipulated. The upper surface of the wash-' board is corrugated or otherwise roughened by the formation of ribs or the like, as shown at 16, the said ribs being diagonally disposed with respect to the side edges of the washboard and they extend toward the center of the board wherearib from one side merges with a rib from the other side. The upper surfaces of the ribs are preferably beveled as shown at 17 and provided with orifices or apertures 18 which incline toward what might be termed the rear of the tub where the operator will stand in manipulating the clothes over the washboard. The washboard is supported in the tub near its top by suspension springs 19 which operate in vertically disposed housings 20 at the front end of the tub, the said springs having their lower ends connected to anchoring elements 21, such as hooks or the like, carried by the washboard. Of course the manner of connecting the washboard to the springs is an immaterial detail, but an operative device is here illustrated, as the upper end of the springs may be connected to rods 22 or the like which extend through the housings.

The rear end of the washboard is sup ported by springs 23 which rest on the bottom of the tub and extend upwardly in recesses 2 formed in the side walls of the tub and they are connected to the washboard at their upper ends by fastenings 25 such as pins or the like. A handle 26 is attached to the washboard at the upper surface near one end, for the purpose of facilitating the manipulation of the board when it is to be applied to or removed from its operative position, as shown in Fig. 1.

A soap box 27 may, for convenience, be stationed at the end of the tub where the operator will stand in manipulating the clothes over the said washboard.

In practice it has been found that when clothes are placed on the board and rubbed over the washboard in the usual Way, the pressure applied results in causing the board to descend, to a greater or less extent, in the washtub, and as the washtub will be practically filled with water up to the washboard, water will be displaced by the down-l ward movement of the washboard, causing the water to spray through the orifices or openings and through the fiber of the clothes, so that in addition to the rubbing action afforded by the movement of the clothes over the washboard, the force of the water will cause dislodgment of the dirt, and by a rinsing action, carry it from the clothes, so that the operation of washing the clothes is facilitated.

Owing to the presence of the wear plate and, roller, damage to the parts by the thrust developed by pushing the clothes over the washboard is obviated, and the washboard is rendered free to move under the influence of the pressure and spring alternately as the washing proceeds.

I claim:

1. In a Washing apparatus, a tub, a perforated washboard, means for yieldingly sup porting the washboard in an approximately horizontal position free of the bottom of the tub, and an anti-friction means carried by the washboard adapted to engage the stationary part of the wall of the tub during the washing operation.

2. In a washing apparatus, a tub, a wash board having a relatively straight rubbing surface and the said washboard having orifices or perforations inclined upwardly toward the rear wall of the tub from the bottom to the top of the said washboard, and

springs for suspending the washboard in an approximately horizontal position free of the bottom of the tub.

3. In a washing apparatus, a tub, a washboard having a roughened surface and upwardly and rearwardly disposed apertures, springs resting on the bottom of the tub for supporting the washboard at one end, housings rising from the tub at the opposite end, springs in the housings suspended therein, and means for connecting the lower ends of the last mentioned springs to the washboard whereby the said springs yieldingly hold the said washboard in an approximately horizontal position. 7

' EDWARD K. LEESON. 

